


And yet, life goes on.

by Solarisetlesetoiles



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 08:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17040185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solarisetlesetoiles/pseuds/Solarisetlesetoiles
Summary: Sometimes things do not work out how we think they should, and yet, life goes on.





	And yet, life goes on.

**Author's Note:**

> Like so many others, I was not thrilled with the way Voltron ended; this fic is a response to the complicated feelings I had.  
> And trust me, they were complicated; I went through a whole cycle, disbelief, anger, sadness, and this fic is a part of that.
> 
> I hope this fic can help with whatever emotions you're feeling.

In the end, Shiro gets married, but not to Keith.

So Keith goes.

Away, away into the stars, as far as they reach.

He tries to drown out the screaming in his head, the sharp shattery pain in his heart, the burning in his eyes, with work.

With helping others, because there is still so much to do. 

Because war is messy. 

Because defeating the villain does not mean all the problems are solved and will remain so forever.

Because there are those who still need help, and Keith has the power to do so. 

The Blade of Marmora changes, no longer lurking in the shadows, they bring aid, and hope.

And Keith?

He throws himself headfirst into the work. 

In the past, he would have found a dark corner to brood in. Maybe he would have run away. 

He definitely would have.

But working with the Blade is not running away, not this time.

Relief efforts need to be coordinated with the coalition, with everyone who wants to lend a hand, and of course the other paladins.

So, somehow Keith remains in the same circles as Shiro, which is… 

Hard. 

But somehow he manages. In the future, when he looks back, he won’t really understand how he did it.

But he does.

Somehow, this helps, helps him feel as if he isn’t abandoning Shiro. 

But now he can take that fire inside him, that made him chase after Shiro and protect him and save him time and time again, and he can point it outward, toward the entire universe.

And it helps, helps him feel like he’s doing something, something with purpose, something that gives him purpose.

The distance gives him something else. 

A bittersweet truth.

Shiro owes him nothing. 

Even though Keith risked life and limb and sanity to save him, Shiro, Takashi, is not the reward at the end of Keith’s quest.

He is not Keith’s prize for growing up, for being a saviour of the universe. 

As much as hurts, he does not owe Keith his love, does not need to love Keith the way Keith loves him.

So Keith lets him go. Because Takashi is happy, and he deserves it, he deserves it so much.

Even if he finds that happiness with someone else.

It does hurt, saying Keith isn’t broken hearted would be a lie the size of a galaxy. 

But the thought of Takashi unhappy and alone, that hurts so much more. 

So Keith tries to be happy for Takashi and his husband. 

He tries so hard.

There are some days where he can’t, but most days he pulls through.

The hurt does not lessen, but Keith gets better at carrying it. Gets better at managing it, so that it does not consume his whole life, everything he is.

So that it only shows up in the middle of the night, when the everything is quiet and he’s all alone wondering what if.

Until one day, when Keith is on a planet and helping aid efforts, and looks up to see Takashi on a holo-screen, hears his voice, and his throat doesn’t constrict, and his chest doesn’t ache like it used too.

Keith spends the rest of the day in shock. Because a part of him always thought he would love Takashi forever. 

And he does, still loves Takashi dearly, but it's different now. 

Which is… not as devastating to him as it would have been.

Time passes but the feeling does not. 

A part of Keith is glad that he will not spend his life pining after someone who does not feel the same way. 

Another feels like this is a betrayal of the love Keith professed to feel for Takashi. 

But the largest parts of Keith, the ones that have kept him going through everything, feel that this is the way things should be, Takashi does not need Keith as a pining fool who cannot accept what he wants. 

He needs Keith as a supportive friend. As he always has.

So Keith accepts the feeling. 

And sometime later, when a handsome alien smiles at him with interest dancing in his eyes. 

Keith smiles back.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a big Sheith shipper, the ending of Voltron hasn't changed that at all, but I also want Keith to be happy, and imaging him as sad and pinning for Shiro for the rest of his life, just seems like an unjust ending. 
> 
> So I've chosen to imagen that he and everyone else ends up happy, even if it's not in the way we thought they would be.
> 
> (if you want to chat about the end of Voltron, drop me a comment)


End file.
